Catamenial bandage



Patented Oct. I1943 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE .TGL Application July 9, go. 218,307

1 Claim.

My invention relates to sanitary napkins and includes among its objects and advantages a decrease in size and bulk and a simultaneous increase in the capacity to absorb and deodorize the excretions involved.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view of a complete sanitary napkin with the right end in side elevation and left end in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the com-plete cartridge unit;

Figure 3 is a plan view of adie used in forming the cartridge unit;

Figure 4 is a section of the cartridge unit on line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a section of the machinery for forming the cartridge unit as on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, the napkin as a whole comprises the usual gauze wrapper I0 having projecting end portions I2 and I4 for fastening in place, and a fibrous absorbent iiller I6 of any suitable material such as the cellulosic fibre batts commonly employed for the purpose. But in this instance the batt I6 is a mere envelope housing and enclosing the cartridge unit The cartridge unit comprises a flatcover layer I8 made up of eight thicknesses of light crepe paper of the general type commonly used for paper handker` chiefs to be discarded immediately after use. The cover layer I8 cooperates with the opposing cover layer 20 to define four pockets 22, 24, 26, and 28 of identical dimensions. Between the pockets hinges are formed by pressing the cover layer 20 down against the cover layer I8 and uniting the parts, as by a series of spot unions at 30. Around the entire periphery of the filler unit I form similar spo't unions in a wider band as clearly indicated in Figure 2, and outside the band of spot unions I form a continuous union at 32 extending around the entire periphery.

Withinl each of the pockets 22, 24, 26', and 28 is a charge of filler 34. The ller is bentonite,

preferably of the non-swelling variety, although the swelling variety can also be employed eifectively. I i-lnd that the eiective absorption characteristics of the bentonite charge are substantially unimpaired by variation in grain size between .the approximate size of ordinary table salt and the approximate size of ordinary wheat flour.

'I'he filler unit as a whole islenclosed in the envelope I6, and the ends of the envelope I6, as an additional precautionary measure, may be sealed at their ends at 36 in any of the ways well known in the art. As the batt is built up by wrapping it around the filler, .the end seal completes a continuous and uninterrupted enclosure for the cartridge.

In forming the cartridge of Figure 2 I employ a steel die illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 having four windows 38 corresponding to the individual pockets of the cartridge. Between the windows 38 the individual cross bars 40 are knurled, and the band of knurling at 42 encircles all the windows. The projections formed by knurling the cross bars 40 and peripheral band 42 form the spot unions 30 when the .fparts are pressed together as indicated in Figure 5. To perform the pressing operation, the cover 20 is laid over the die and pressed down into each of the windows. Then the charge of bentonite is placed in each of the open pockets thus formed, and .the cover I8 is laid over the whole, with the die and the cartridge lying on a rigid steel support indicated at 44. A second piece of ilat steel 46 is then pressed downward over the cover I8 with suiiicient force to form the unions 30 and the peripheral union 32, 'Ihe die has a peripheral rib 48 extending up to the same upper level as the tops of the knurled projections, to form the peripheral union 32.

'I'he complete device may be made substantially smaller than has heretofore been customary, but the absorbing power of the bentonite 34 is so great that the smaller device has a materially larger capacity to absorb and dispose of the excretions involved.

I am aware that it has been proposed in the past to embody a filler in such a sanitary napkin, which iiller has a spongelike action. Speciiically, I am aware that it has been proposed to employ a ller of kleselguhr or diatomaceous earth. However, I ilnd that a product according to the invention herein disclosed has decided advanf tages over an article in which the ller is kieselguhr, both with respect to the amount of body uids that the device can retain eifectively, and with respect to deodorizing power. Without denitely stating that such is the case, I believe the superiority of the device disclosed to be due to the fact that bentonite acts by molecular or quasi-molecular incorporation of the materials it retains, as by forming a hydrate in case there are water molecules in the material retained, and by similarly amalgamating itself in chemical compounds or quasi-compounds with any material that tends to approximate a liquid condition in the sense that individual molecules therein will extend the sucking action are capable of being subjected to separate individual action. I do state the tact to be that in a device according to the invention. after use, the corpuscular content of the blood or body uids is to beiound embedded in the envelope Il, and that in the embedded condition Ythese ingredients are possessed of relatively slight odor. And I can state vthe fact to be that the plasma is to be found incorporated with the bentonite charge Il. lBased on these ascertained facts, I believe the fact to be that not only the plasma, but the molecules responsible for odor, being separate molecules as'distinguished from the vastly larger bodies constituting the corpuscular content o! the body iluids, have also passed into and been retained by the filler 3l, which accounts for the relatively slight odor of the material remaining in the envelope I0. And because the corpuscular content of the iluids is a very minor percentage oi the volume of the iluids, the passage of the plasma through the envelope i8 into the bentonite Il has entrained and drawn the corpuscular material deep into the envelope I6, and to that extent avoided the accumulation of clots on the outer surface of the envelope. Accordingly, it is possible to use an envelope of relatively slight bulk, inasmuch-as the processes of absorption are such as to require the envelope to absorb and retain only a very minor fraction of the volume of iluids retained by the device as a whole.

The action oi the assembly on other fluids than blood, such as the lymph and glandular secretions, will naturally be similar. Considering the eilluvia as a whole, molecular or quasi-molecular particles will be found in the core, and in or around the core covers I8 and 20 there will develop a mat containing the living and dead material subsisting in particles of larger size, including epithelial, bacterial, and pus cells, white and red corpuscles, casts, cysts, cilia, etc. Because this mat will be packed by the osmotic action taking place through it, it will develop a structure in which the capillary interstices are smaller than those of the envelope I6, by at least one, and probably two or three, orders of magnitude, and the capillary action of these interstices of the core out to the outer surface oi the mat. However, since the plasma is drawn into the core, the clotting or gelatinizing action of portions of the eilluvia will be minimized and the capillary interstices will tend to remain open and active. Within the structure of this mat there will be a very high space concentration of all bacteria and all white corpuscles, so that bacterial mortality will be high, both because o! the withdrawal oi food substances in the plasma, and because of corpuscular attack.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that 'others may, by applying knowledge current at the time of application, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service. It will, for instance, be obvious that the die disclosed herein as one means of making the product, may be replaced by automatic filling and sealing machinery employing multiple or sectional dies.

I claim: t

A sanitary napkin comprising a illler and an envelope: said iiller comprising a ilrst septum oi cellulosic material, such as paper; a second septum of the same material; said ilrst septum lying substantially all in the same plane; said second septum being united to said ilrst septum all around its edges and along a plurality of spaced parallel lines extending from side to side of the nished illler; the remainder of said second septum being spaced from said ilrst septum to define a plurality of pockets; granular absorbent material in said pockets; said lines of union being transverse to the longest dimension of the filler and forming hinges to increase the` ilexibility of the illler; said envelope being of spongy absorbent material and completely enveloping said ller on all sides; the wall thickness of said envelope being-of the same order of magnitude as the thickness of said illler; said granular absorbent material being bentonite and operating chemically to retain fluids as by forming hydrates or gels with water and analogous compounds with blood plasma; said envelope retaining additional material by ordinary capillary action.

JQHN E. GILCHRIST. 

